Benitez In Move For Scottish International Winger

The Sun is reporting today that Newcastle United want to make a £10m bid to sign 26 year-old Bournemouth right winger Matt Ritchie.

That could be tough, because the news is that West Ham are also interested in signing the 10 times capped Scottish International who played 41 times for Bournemouth last season in the Premier League with 4 goals.

Matt Ritchie – Rafa Benitez interested
It’s unusual for Newcastle to be interested in a winger this summer, but Matt did have a very good season last term for Bournemouth.

The Sun is reporting Newcastle are interested in the Gosport-born winger only as a signing before the club allows Andros Townsend to leave Newcastle this summer.

They quote Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew as the likely destination of the 24 year-old England International winger.

🙁

We don’t expect that to happen, but it seems Matt could be a decent signing for us regardless, although £10M seems a lot.

The Cherries rather easily survived in their very first season in the Premier League last term and whipped us 3-1 at St. James’ Park last March.

🙁

But that was mercifully the last game in charge for the woeful Steve McClaren as the head coach – and the last home defeat for us last season.

Rafa Benitez came in and won three and drew two of the remaining five home games of the season, but that still wasn’t enough to prevent a second relegation to the Championship in seven years.

Matt moved from Swindon Town to Bournemouth in the summer of 2012 and since then he has played 138 times for the south coast club with 31 goals.

He has played in League One, the Championship and the Premier League in those four seasons with Bournemouth, as the club quickly moved up the leagues in England with The Cherries.

A real success story for AFC Bournemouth.

Matt started his career at Portsmouth and moved to Swindon and then Bournemouth with loan spells along the way at Dagenham & Redbridge and also at Notts County.

He is still only 26 years old, yet he has already made 337 first team appearances with 77 goals.

He qualifies to play for Scotland because his father is Scottish and Matt made his debut against Northern Ireland in a friendly in March of last year at Hampden Park.

58 responses so far ↓

I really don’t want to cause offence but, of all the British Isles teams Scotland didn’t get to the euros. So saying “Scottish International” is like saying “Andorran International” or “Faroese International” isn’t it? ( or Dutch…lol) Just say he’s a decent player for Bournemouth and we’ll know what we are supposedly shopping for, eh?

Agent spots potential gap in a teams’ squad, picks player from roster who might fit, starts story on his network that said team are considering said player, drops in marker bid price and heats on a low oven for 48 hours.

Keep your pants up jibster, I didn’t glorify England did I? In fact the opposite – the home country fare has been a bland staple so far. I’m saying that Scotland can’t even live up to our meagre offerings, which is an evident truth. Besides, I thought you’d be watching a video of Adele from yesterday?

Not like Jiberish to have a snipe at a usual suspect before elderly number one fan erupts in a diabolical rage over said usual suspects causing rows. Luckily Ian Toon can avoid said row by having a Freudian dig at BandB while alter ego (c)arl licks ass while pretending to be interested in football craic.

I imagine a scene somewhere in the North East -from within a semi- detached house a female voice can be heard singing from the confines of her bathroom – scented candles and a glass of red wine to hand.

“Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane
Ain’t got time to take a fast train
Lonely days are gone, I’m a-goin’ home
My baby, just-a wrote me a letter”.

Jiberish,
Despite Scotland’s half decent past they are footballing minnows, they have not produced a player in the mould of Dalglish and Sourness for a longreat time, they are about the same as Jamaica or Cape Verde.

Has anyone seen this guy play? He is terrific player, will score goals too. He will compliment Townsend and he can’t track back too. Suspect we would have to pay more than £10M, as Premiership teams like West Ham have been looking.

Tsunki can be very amusing on occasion but the clever dick/show off in him can make him go a bit too far at times.

The good thing about a blog it’s not just the people we see who read it but hundreds who never bother registering but can see the shit that is said and approve when a valid point is made and challenges made

I can feel them all nodding their heads now.

Although what they must make of the childish guff that Mr Tuff posts is a worry.

Jib @34 – Yeah she was fantastic with the audience and she knew there were kids there because she got one on stage and there was no need for it. Maybe it is a generation thing – I’m not a prude and at a lads or girls night out fair enough but really there was no need for it at a concert like that!

Ashley
June 26, 2016
Jiberish,
Despite Scotland’s half decent past they are footballing minnows, they have not produced a player in the mould of Dalglish and Sourness for a longreat time, they are about the same as Jamaica or Cape Verde.

So then jail are you saying players like strachan, mcallister and ally Mccoist for example are not just as good, they’ve all won medals.

welshie me old mucka,
If the best you can come up with since the days of Souness, Dalglish and Hanson is those three then it kind of proves my point. Since when did winning the Scottish cup count as a major honour?

If it’s true that we’ve been offered Ritchie, then we simply have to go sign him up, we should be prepared to pay anywhere between 6 and 10mil, may seem a lot but he’s what we need, dangerous winger who works his socks off every game, would be a huge upgrade on Thauvin.

Go and get Gayle as well as we need a proven goalscorer and fast striker like him to complement Mitro, Oxford on loan to replace Tiote, then Lewis Dunk and Charlie Taylor and we’re sorted

In honor of two dedicated Newcastle fans, who lost their lives supporting Newcastle United.

Their passenger jet was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday July 17th, 2014 by rebels, as they were traveling to support the team in New Zealand.

We will never forget them.

Health Update - 4 Aug, 2016

The good news last week was that after more blood tests my PSA count is still undetectable

This means the prostate cancer is still under control, and there is no trace of it in the body.

Now to be even more vigilant so I can see the Rafa Benitez project come to its fruition over the next few years - wouldn't want to miss that.

Howay The Lads!!>

Ed Harrison

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